This invention relates to telephone operator call processing systems. More particularly, this invention relates to a method and system in which, when a telephone operator receives an emergency call, data regarding the caller is made more readily available.
Many localities are served by emergency response facilities to which residents can direct telephone calls reporting the existence of emergency situations. These emergency response facilities are commonly served by specialized telephone numbers, such as "911" in the United States, or "999" in Great Britain. Such facilities are typically equipped with operator terminals that display the name and location of the calling party, so that even if the caller is unable to complete a message to the emergency operator, the operator has sufficient information to dispatch emergency personnel.
Prior to the introduction of such emergency response facilities, it was common to seek emergency assistance by dialing the local telephone operator--i.e., by dialing "0." As a result, many people, particularly older people or people under the stress of an emergency situation, still tend to dial "0" to reach emergency personnel. In addition, some localities have not implemented a dedicated emergency response number such as "911." Also, if the local telephone company is unable to complete a call to an emergency response center, it may re-route the call to the local operator. Normally, the local operator is able to obtain all of the necessary information from the caller and relay it to the appropriate emergency personnel. However, in this case, if the caller is unable to give all of the necessary information for any reason and the call is terminated before the operator can dispatch emergency personnel, the operator station does not normally retain, or even display, the necessary name and address information referred to above. The local operator must then transmit a special signal to the local telephone switch to which the operator station is connected to retrieve the telephone number of the caller. The operator can then (1) attempt to contact the caller, or (2) relay the information to an emergency response facility as described above, which can use the telephone number to retrieve the name and address and dispatch emergency personnel.
While the necessary telephone number information is stored at the local switch, the ability of a local operator to retrieve that information is dependent on the signaling method in use between the operator station and the local switch, and on the ability of that signaling method to support the request to retrieve the information. And because there can be multiple line instances, or "loops," at the operator station, it is not sufficient to display the last number that called the operator. Rather, the last number for each loop must be available.
For example, in one common configuration, the local switch is one sold under the trademark 5ESS.RTM. by Lucent Technologies, and the operator stations operate under a system known as Operator Service Position System. Different types of signaling may be used between the switch and the operator stations. Under one type of signaling known as Feature Group C with Modified Operator Signaling, the local operator would be able to query the switch to retrieve the information. However, under a newer form of signaling known as Feature Group D, the information could not be retrieved by the operator without redefining the signaling protocol.
It would be desirable to be able to provide a telephone operator terminal system that is able to retain caller identifying information without regard to the type of signaling in effect between the operator terminal and the local telephone switch, and without regard to the number of line instances at the operator terminal.